1885.] COMMERCIAL CLASSIFICATION OF WILLOWS. 411 



leaves are slightly dentated at the edges, of loose texture, they are 

 smooth above, and covered with a white, silky pubescence below, 

 and are entirely destitute of stipules. The bark of the twigs is 

 smooth to the touch and sweet to the taste. Between thirty and 

 forty varieties of this species are now in my possession, differing 

 much in the colour of bark, size of growth, toughness of wood, etc., 

 but all may be known by the above description, and what is of 

 equal importance, the description cannot be made to apply to any 

 other species of willow. The six best varieties of the osier are 

 known by the trade names of White osier, Erown osier, Merrins 

 osier, Basford osier, Belgian osier, and Longskin osier, and this 

 number is sufficient for all practical purposes of the basket-maker. 

 The 8. mminalis, or osier propei-, is the best adapted of all willows 

 to the rich soils found on river margins, where it is subject to 

 occasional floods. It is a vigorous grower, very hard}-, and must be 

 well fed by the deposits of floods or by artificial irrigation, to 

 maintain it in continued perfection ; and it bids fair at no distant 

 date to solve one of the questions of the present day, viz., 

 the disposal of surplus sewage. Its capacity for absorbing the 

 same has already been tried with success upon several sewage 

 farms ; — Northampton sewage farm may be named as a good 

 example. 



" The next group of willows used in basket-making is S. triandra. 

 It might be supposed that the name triandra was a sufficient guide 

 to identification, but as the inflorescence of willows is too variable 

 to be depended upon, a more simple and certain means of identifica- 

 tion is necessary. There are a great number of varieties of this 

 willow, more than twenty of which are under cultivation, but all 

 may be easily recognised by the circumstance, that from three 

 years old and upwards, they all annually shed their bark, and 

 as this is not the case with any other willow, no one can fail to 

 identify it. 



" The S. triandra yields the best results when planted in a rich 

 loamy clay. It is a native of Northern Europe and very hardy 

 in constitution. The wood is harder than the wood of the osier, 

 and it is slower in taking root ; but when it has obtained a good 

 hold in suitable land, it will last longer without replanting, and 

 under favourable conditions it is a very profitable willow to grow. 

 The six best varieties to cultivate are known under the following 

 trade names : — Brown Norfolk, Green Norfolk, Italian, Black 

 German, Black Mule, and French. 



" The third group of basket willows, S. jmrpurca, is of more slender 

 habit, and are more precarious to grow than those previously 

 named ; indeed, it may almost be said that none but professional 



